Rockingham crab fisher fined $2650 for threatening Fisheries officer

A ROCKINGHAM man who threatened to smash in the face of a Fisheries officers has been smacked with a hefty fine of $2650.

Brian Taylor Joseph sent endorsed pleas of guilty to contravening an order of the Minister by recreationally fishing for crabs in Cockburn Sound and refusing to supply a fisheries officer with information at Rockingham Magistrates Court on August 4.

The fisheries prosecutor said they were responding to a complaint from the public of someone crabbing at Mangles Bay just before 6pm on January 10.

The officers found a man with his children with a crab scoop.

On the shore there was a bucket with 13 crabs in it of which six were undersized.

The man tried to tip the crabs back in the water, refused to give information and left the area.

He was later identified and the officers went to his house.

They went to talk with him and he again refused to give his details and said ‘if you step past that letterbox I’ll smash your face in – that’s not a threat it’s a promise.’.

Police came and he was arrested.

Magistrate Vivian Edwards fined him $2000 and the mandatory penalty of $50 for each crab.